Smriti Sankar Visits Section 36 Music!

Section 36 Music has another visitor! Smriti Sankar is a wonderful singer, fresh off the release of her single, "Escape Artist". I was flattered she wanted to visit with us to discuss the single, her musical goals, and more!

So, let's see what happens when Smriti Sankar visits Section 36 Music!

I really enjoyed your recent single, “Escape Artist”. What can you tell me about it?

I started producing the song in early September when I took a gap semester. Although I was producing and mixing for other people, I felt quite underconfident about producing my own music because I am a perfectionist, and sometimes too much of a perfectionist with the songs I write. However, with this song, I put my perfectionism aside and just had fun producing the song with Ableton Live. I also documented my process along the way. I had the chorus written out based on a friend’s personal experience. After going on a solo trip to Prague and meeting my partner in October, I got inspired to write the verses and the rest of the song. I consider this song a big step in my learning process and it has taught me to have fun with making music, drawing inspiration from life, and learning as I keep trying to get better at writing and producing.

Did you have a favorite memory from the recording process?

I really enjoyed playing around with the vocal chops heard in the song on the choruses and especially at the end of the song. I was visiting my brother in California at the time. I remember sitting with him at his workplace where I accompanied him and I remember unleashing my creative energy and having fun with the effects on my voice. I also recorded all my vocals on a cheap condenser microphone and interface all in my brother’s acoustically unideal living room. I set up a pillow fort around myself to record which was actually quite fun and allowed me to be more comfortable with recording my vocals! It also taught me to make use of what I have around me when I do not have access to the ideal recording environment.

You are attending Berklee College of Music. What made Berklee the right choice for you?

I first heard of Berklee when I was fourteen years old and I was looking for a music school that taught music production and contemporary/pop music. I was also thrilled to find out that Charlie Puth and some other artists I grew up listening to attended Berklee. I did a few summer programs at Berklee while in high school before joining for my undergraduate degree in 2022. I remember that the first day I had classes at the Day Sessions program, I felt so inspired and felt like I found my first step into making a career out of music and doing what I love. In addition to the classes and the knowledge from the amazing professors, the network and opportunities is something I am grateful for from Berklee.

Who or what would you consider your biggest musical influences?

I have had so many musical influences while growing up, but if I had to narrow it down to my top three, I would say Sara Bareilles, Julia Michaels, and Lizzy McAlpine. Ed Sheeran’s orange album also inspired me greatly with my songwriting. I also have to mention that I grew up listening to Pink Floyd, Sting, Whitney Houston, and Michael Jackson because my mom loves these artists.

What is the most challenging part of your music career?

As cliche and counterintuitive as it sounds, always being myself is one of the most challenging parts of my music career. Sometimes, I am afraid of being unauthentic or trying too much to sound like an existing artist. I am continuing to improve on this by frequently asking myself “is this what I want to say to the world or am I writing this to please someone or fit a certain mold?”. One of the key aspects about my personality is that I like making the choice that most people would go against. I hope to bring this boldness (in some ways, stubbornness) and confidence to my music by making crazy and authentic choices to convey the message.

What are your immediate music goals?

That is still something I am figuring out. I know in the long term, I want to land a sync deal or write/produce with major artists in the indie/pop scene. At the moment, I am working on new music for myself, freelance producing for other artists, DJing and creating my own tracks, and finding gigs near me. All I know is that I am going to keep making music and I am excited to share it with the world!

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I'm excited for her to share music with us!

As always, I want to thank Smriti for visiting with us, and for sending along the pictures to accompany the interview.

I'm sure you’ll all want to follow her and see what she has going on. I would follow her on Instagram, and Spotify to make sure you don't miss a thing. 

Thanks, Smriti, and good luck reaching your goals!